Recovery and Nightmares
by AGL03
Summary: Second in a series. Since returning from the planet Jemma's worst nightmare comes true.


A/N: Wow! Thanks for the great response to Recovery and Revenge, this can be considered a sequel to it. I decided to make it an ongoing series, left open as things throughout the season strike my fancy. This one was inspired by previews of 4722 Hours. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Own nothing!

She ran. Her lungs burning from excursion and the ever present sand she couldn't help breathing it. He had found her, found the small sanctuary she had built for herself within the rocks and sand. Jemma had known it was foolish to stay there for so long, how bad it was to stay in one place for so long, but it had been the most comfortable place she'd found for herself in months and couldn't resist.

Ahead she saw an upcoming valley, barreling down the hill before her without hesitation, her legs going out from under her in the loose sand along the hillside. From there she tumbled, pain cries escaping her lips as the jagged rocks cut into them on her way down. With a grunt she came to a sudden halt, her forehead painfully catching another rock.

Not stopping to assess the damage she took off again, seeing a series of taller pillars ahead she could hide behind. Only then did she pause for breath. To her horror she felt something trickling on her head…blood…he could find the blood.

Dropping to her knees she clawed at the ground, getting through the dusty upper layers until she hit the mud below. Smearing it across the wound she winced as it stung, but it would serve its purpose. She allowed herself a moment to catch her breath before darting off again, ducking and listening behind each pillar.

She could hear him coming, his ever steady and confident footfalls across the sand, relentless in his pursuit of her.

"Jemma" his voice called the tone menacing yet playful. "You can't hide from me Jemma, you should know by now I will always find you, no matter where you go, I will find you".

Jemma curled tightly within herself and felt the tears burning in her eyes as the footsteps seemed to come from everywhere around her. She closed her eyes and not for the first time wished that Fitz was there with her, his strong arms wrapped around her, the beat of his heart in her ears, his scent washing around her all protecting her from this hell of a world.

"Ah, there he is again" the voice taunted as if it had read her thoughts "your knight in shining armor".

More tears fell wanting nothing more than for it to be true.

"After all this time you still wait for him, still reach out for him," he said and now like the footsteps the voice seemed to come from everywhere at once. "What if I were to tell you your Knight came little Jemma?" Jemma felt her heart to stop in her chest the blood in her veins turn to ice. "That he came through the portal calling your name".

She let out a chocked sob now any chance of hiding her location disappearing with it. "I have him Jemma, I have your Fitz right here with me and if you don't come out I'll do to him what I've done to every other soul that has come through that portal…"

"No!" she screamed throwing herself into the open "Don't hurt him, please don't hurt him!"

For a few moments she saw nothing just the barren blue landscape that had been her hell for so long. "Jemma" a soft yet concerned voice called, the Scottish accent like music to her ears though she'd had imagined it under very different circumstances.

"Fitz!" she cried now running again, "You let him go! You hear me, it's me you want not him!" She followed the voice and came into an open area, the shadow faced Hunter standing there, Fitz on his knees in front of her tormentor. Jemma had never seen its face, could never give an accurate description of what it was or what it looked like, just that it had chased her without mercy since her arrival. A sword, the very sword she'd found in that horrid mass grave poised at the tender skin of Fitz's throat.

She could only stare at him, weeks, and months of being away finally seeing him there, just feet away. He had found her but because of her he was in danger, again. She locked onto his eyes, now even more impossibly blue due to the planet that surrounded them. "Jem" he said his voice still soft and soothing. "This isn't real, you aren't here, this didn't happen, you are home, safe, and in my arms".

Jemma took a breath looking around, the Hunter laughing darkly, the planet suddenly melting away. Replaced by their lab back at the Playground. Fitz was still his prisoner, still kneeling in front of him with a blade at his throat. "You're not safe Jemma, you think coming home made you safe, kept him safe," he hissed face still shadowed despite the bright lights of the lab. "I found you again, here in your sanctuary, even your Fitz can't protect you from me nor can you protect him from me…"

As the shadow spoke the blade pressed to Fitz's throat began to move, red instantly seeping from behind the blade.

And she screamed, screaming so loud it felt as if her vocal cords might burst. Her vision tunneled, all she saw was red and the light leave those wonderful eyes she loved so much. The darkness enveloped her, the Hunters cackles echoing in her ears, strong arms grabbing her own.

She fought, sobbing, screaming, biting, and kicking. Anything to get away. However the grip only intensified, pinning her down, a faint voice she would never hear again calling her name desperately.

"Fitz!" she cried again trying to thrash away, unwilling to open her eyes and see the Hunter looming over her, not with Leo's blood on his hands.

"I'm here" the faint voice called again, clearly upset, the grip shifting with one arm braced on her chest, while the other went to her hair. She cried again, the gentle gesture something that Fitz would do, had been doing, and she could bear the thought of anyone doing it ever again.

"Jemma, please open your eyes…I'm here" the voiced pleaded something wet dropping onto her face. Her stomach turned thinking of blood "Please," she begged "you can't hurt me anymore".

"Jemma!"

The voice was so desperate, so insistent, and so impossibly familiar that she had to finally open her eyes.

Gone was the lab and the shadowed Hunter. All that remained was a pair of tear filled eyes frantically searching her face. His voice was pleading and shaking as he talked, the words ever so slowly reaching her through her haze. "Jemma your safe, please wake up" Fitz pleaded.

"Fitz?" she finally whispered his head dropping in relief and the arm that had been pinning her to the floor. She launched herself into his arms, burrowing into his chest and sobbing in earnest again. "He killed you, I saw him kill you…" she whispered over and over. It was only thanks to the sheer amount of time they had been together that he was even able to understand her, though he still misunderstood.

"Ward is locked up, I'm safe, you're safe. He'll never touch you again, I swear" he assured stroking her back. She just sobbed more and clutched to him tighter. She hadn't told him about the Hunter, not yet, she couldn't bear too out of fear. Fitz was confused but just continued to hold her. Nightmares were nothing new after her return, though she had been doing better in recent weeks. "No matter what Jemma I'm here, I won't let anyone hurt you".

Fitz gently guided her back onto the bed, wrapping her back up in what had become her favorite soft blanket and tucking her back into his chest so she could hear his heartbeat, exactly how she liked. His arms wrapped around her and he placed gentles kisses to her forehead before settling into the pillows himself. Over time her frantic hear rate calmed and her breathing returned to normal. She closed her eyes feigning sleep until Fitz's own erratic breathing eventually evening out as he succumbed to exhaustion.

Once she was sure he had fallen back asleep she reluctantly pulled herself up from her nest studying him carefully as he slept. His arms now bore long scratches from her nails, a few small bruises on his face from where she had struck him in her struggles. Guilt gnawed at her stomach that she'd hurt him when he'd been trying to help her. Her eyes paused at his throat, mind flashing to the blade in her dreams that had taken him from her. Tentatively she brought her hand up gently caressing his cheek before placing a gentle kiss to the other "I promise Leo that YOU will be safe, he will never touch you, and I will do everything in my power to protect you".

The End

A/N: Hope you enjoyed! If you have a prompt to add to this series please let me know be it in a review, comment, or PM. I'm also on Tumblr AGL03 so you can drop a message there as well!


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